Shows & Events
Projecting Connections: Profiles of Boston: Portraits from the Heart of Chinatown

Film

May 16 | 3:00 pm

Profiles of Boston:
Portraits from the Heart of Chinatown

Home Plate - Lukas Dong, Director
Love, Chinatown - Lukas Dong, Director
Building a Community - Ken Eng, Creative Director | Nancy Lo, Project Director
Hong Far Low - Aaron Wong, Director

Co-Presented by:

Four short films that illuminate Boston’s Chinatown through personal stories of family, memory, and resilience.

Together, they form a living portrait of a vibrant and enduring community shaped by generations of perseverance, care, and connection.

Q&A with filmmakers to follow screening

Info

Venue

Bright Family Screening Room
559 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111

Dates

May 16, 2026 | 3:00 pm

Q&A

Q&A with filmmakers to follow the screening

Details

72 MIN Total

PLEASE NOTE: This is a free event. Guests will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis upon arrival. Reserving your tickets does not necessarily guarantee admission, but we rarely turn anyone away from our free events. Please plan to arrive early—ideally 20 to 30 minutes before showtime—to ensure entry.
Tickets

Saturday, May 16, 2026

3:00 PM

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Home Plate

A BREAKWATER STUDIOS PRESENTATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH McDONALD’S
Lukas Dong, Director

In English | Documentary | 18 Min

When his chosen career path as a Major League pitcher doesn’t pan out, former youth baseball standout Andrew Chin sits down for a direct-address conversation with his immigrant mother and McDonald’s franchisee Carol, to learn what it means to start over. As she reflects on the hardships of arriving in a new country and pursuing a new profession, Andrew begins to see how they mirror his own struggles. Inspired by his parents’ path, Andrew strives to channel his own ambition and work ethic away from the mound and into the family business, reframing what success looks like along the way.

Gallery:

Love, Chinatown

Lukas Dong, Director

In English, Cantonese | Documentary | 18 Min | Subtitles when Cantonese spoken

Chinatown resident Cynthia Yee embarks on an open-hearted walking tour of Boston’s Historic Chinatown in all its vibrancy—extending a discerning welcome to neighborhood newcomers while boldly confronting the community’s past trauma with the help of an unexpected local compatriot: bright-eyed undergrad, Gwen.

Gallery:

Trailer:
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Building a Community

Boston Chinatown Heritage Center
Ken Eng, Creative Director | Nancy Lo, Project Director

In English | Documentary | 20 Min

Building a Community is a sweeping portrait of Boston Chinatown, told through personal family stories that illuminate 150 years of perseverance, transformation, and belonging.

Hong Far Low

Aaron Wong, Director

In English | Documentary | 20 Min

This short documentary is a reflection of the director’s family restaurant started by his great-grandfather as it connects to the history of both Chinatown’s history and his family.

Gallery:

Trailer:

Artists

Lukas Dong, Director

Lukas Dong is an award-winning director based in Los Angeles. Raised in Hong Kong, he discovered his passion for filmmaking by exploring the city’s unique urban nooks with a camera – capturing the subtle details of daily life around him and meeting unlikely characters along the way. As his career evolved, he gravitated toward human-centric content, dedicated to telling the stories of individuals who go above and beyond for their passions. Lukas has directed short films and commercials for leading brands around the world, telling meaningful stories in their most elegant form.

Kenneth Eng, Director

Kenneth Eng is a director, editor, and producer whose work focuses on culture, migration, and community memory. A graduate of Boston Latin School, he studied film at the School of Visual Arts in New York. His thesis film, Scratching Windows, a documentary on graffiti writers, was broadcast on WNET–PBS as part of the REEL NY series.

Eng went on to direct and edit several feature-length documentaries, including Take Me to the River (2001), filmed during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, India, and Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball (2006), about Japan’s Koshien Tournament, which aired nationally on PBS as part of POV. In 2007, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship to begin My Life in China, a personal documentary completed in 2015 that retraces his father’s immigration journey back to their village in Toisan.

More recently, Eng edited Tested (2016), directed by Curtis Chin, and served as cinematographer and editor for Dear Corky (2022), a short film honoring photographer Corky Lee.

Aaron Wong, Director

I am a filmmaker based out of Boston. I currently work for the Red Sox, where I am in the control room during games handling the stats, data, and videos that display during a game. When I’m not at America’s Most Beloved Ballpark (Fenway Park), I’m writing, making movies, and finding that next story that gets my heart racing. There’s many out there, and I want to find those stories that speak to me and many others.

Partners

ArtsEmerson presents Projecting Connections: Chinese-American Experiences. Using film as a lens to reflect on the vast lived experiences of the Chinese in the Greater Boston Area, this special series will feature monthly films and post-show curated discussions designed to build and foster meaningful community conversation.

Boston Asian American Film Festival

New England’s Largest Asian American Film Festival
The Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF) empowers Asian Americans through film by showcasing Asian American experiences and serving as a resource to filmmakers and the Greater Boston Community. BAAFF is a co-production of Asian American Resource Workshop and ArtsEmerson.

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ArtsEmerson is a 501(c)(3) organization

May 16 | 3:00 pm

Profiles of Boston:
Portraits from the Heart of Chinatown

Info

Venue

Dates

May 16, 2026 | 3:00 pm

Q&A

Details

72 MIN Total

Saturday, May 16, 2026

3:00 PM

Home Plate

Gallery:

Love, Chinatown

Building a Community

Hong Far Low

Artists

Partners

Other Office of the Arts Websites

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May 16 | 3:00 pm

Profiles of Boston: Portraits from the Heart of Chinatown

Info

Venue

Dates

May 16, 2026 | 3:00 pm

Q&A

Details

72 MIN Total

Saturday, May 16, 2026

3:00 PM

Home Plate

Gallery:

Love, Chinatown

Building a Community

Hong Far Low

Artists

Partners

Profiles of Boston:
Portraits from the Heart of Chinatown